Background to this inspection
Updated
24 July 2021
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.
Inspection team
Two inspectors carried out this inspection.
Service and service type
Wheathills House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We reviewed the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with seven people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, care manager, administrative manager, three care staff and two auxiliary staff. We reviewed a range of records including five people's care records, management of infection control and COVID-19 testing arrangements, recruitments records and records relating to the management of the service.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We received feedback from two relatives and two health care professionals.
Updated
24 July 2021
About the service
Wheathills House is a residential care home that was providing personal and nursing care to 21 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The home is in a rural location with extensive grounds for people to use. People have single occupancy bedrooms and the home has been designed to enable people to move around independently. Due to the location of the home there is limited access to public transport or local amenities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
New governance systems including quality audits had been introduced to monitor the service and identify improvements. The provider recognised where further improvements could be made to ensure greater oversight of the service. Feedback from people, their relatives, staff and healthcare professionals were positive about the care in the home.
People felt safe and told us staff looked after them well. The staff worked well together and understood how to support people in accordance with their care plans and risk assessments. Relatives told us the registered manager and the staff team were very caring and responsive to people’s needs.
People’s safety and welfare was monitored. There was an overview of accidents and incidents and these were reviewed to help ensure there was not a reoccurrence. Medicines were stored and administered individually and were managed safely. Staffing levels had been reviewed to meet people’s needs and staff felt they could support people effectively and were available when people needed them.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was rated requires improvement (Published 12 December 2020).
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 5 October 2020 and a breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve the governance in the home.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Caring and Well-led which contain those requirements.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service is requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Wheathills House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.